Omaha daily bee., 1887-12-05
An Engineers story of n Wild Ride
on the Northwestern.

HIS tAlH y " OOO YIN Emu.
An Engineers Story of Wild Ride
on the Northwcstern.
There is u bond of attachment be-
tween railroad men who have run on
the same line for long time, in one
sense uniting them into large family
of brothers. They brave the same dam
gers. view the same scenes, and find
pleasure or sorrow in the advancement
or downfall of their fellow-men. Re
Gently three engineers chanced to meet
in Chicago, and although years had
elapsed since they studied the same
time card aud whirled along over the
same rails. yet the greeting WAS as COR
dial as though they had parted but yes
terday. They were all in the employ of
the Chicago & Northwestern company,
and at one time had been on the
Winona g. st. Peter division. but now
one was running on the Madison di-
vision. the second in Dakota aud the
other still made WinOna the eastern
terminus of his yum. They had strcaks
of gray in their hair and it had all
come in the service of the one COM
pany.
Has there been any accidents on
the hill' lately?' asked one of the men,
referring to that piece of road which
winds around the bluffs in the ascent
from Stockton to Lewiston. distance
of about nine miles, in which trains
climb up between 800 and 600 feet, the
grade in places being ninety-tbree feet
ty the mile.
mo, nothing serious. but seldom go
through the bluffs that don't think of
one particular time | went down there
and my hair stood right on end. 1t was
cold, frosty morning in November, in
1872. | was pulling the Rochester ac-
commodation and Edward Lyons-you
remember Slim Jim'-was conductor
We were a little behind time. The
most of the cars on the train belonged
to eastern roads. and their brakes were
not in good order. ] pulled out of
Lewiston at pretty good speed, and
were going right lively. ] called for
brakes, and as we headed down into the
gully saw the boys scampering along
on the top of the train winding 'em up.
but it didn't seem to do
much good. whistled for
brakes again, for we we're GO
ing around those sharp curves alto
gether too fast. Then | SAW Slim up
on top and the boys doubled up on the
| brakes. Every brake was set, and yet
we kept going faster. didn't dare to
TcNcESc lily CHI loi ~ NouiV hdNC
blown my cyllnder-hcads out and done
no good. When | looked back again
the boys had given it up and got onto
| the coach. Then we came to the stop
board Just west of the cuts, and we went
| by it a-sailing. My heart came right
| up into my throat as | thought of the
bridges just a little farther on. The
coach was packed with passengers, and
/ couldn't do thing to save 'cm. told
| the fireman we were liable to Jump the
track on some of those curves, and that
we better get ready to jump off some
| how on the inside of the curve, if we
did. Then we struck the first trestlc-
it's filled in now, but you remember
when we used to cross that valley on the
top ends of timber, over seventy feet
from the ground-and we danced across
| it in no time. | guess we were going
fifty miles an hour. looked at my
fireman, and he was as pale as death,
and l was just as badly scared
as he was. Then glanced
back as the train made II rainbow of it.
self on curve and ! saw Slim on the
| platform of the coach. He motiOncd to
mel don't know how-but UNDER
stood him and his plan. He was hand
ling the coach brake himself, and he
had man ready to help him; if we
would jump the track he would release
his brake, and as the strain was relieved
from the coupling to the car next ahead
his man would pull the pin, then the
coach brake would be reset and the pas
sengers would be saved.
"Then we flew over the next bridge,
and were coming to the most danger
Gus spot on the hill. 1t was mighty
us and the farm houses down in the
valley was n little strip of earth not
| over ten feet wide. If we went over
there the train would be broken into
kindling wood, and we had no place to
jump, for on the other side the rocks
rose straight by forty or fifty feet. As
we drew near it just stopped breathing
and thought of my wife and baby
| didn't realize it when we passed the
dreaded SPOT, for when | looked
again we were on bridge No. |, the last
down il is good track and as safe as on
a prairie. Then | braced up and looked
back. Slim waved his cap at me and
whistlcd in reply. The passengers did
not realize that the train had been in
great danger, but the rest of us did.
Pretty soon we flew by the water-tank Il
mile west of Stockton and | looked at
my watch. We must have been running
mile minute, for we had made up our
time and more, too. We were to meet
the west-bound passenger train at
Stockton, and our duty was to side-traclI
for it. Then got scared again, and my
hair resumed its former shape Of stand
ing on end. We couldn't stop the train.
Like shot we went through Stockton,
crossed the bridge over Forbushe's mill
dam, and then l looked for the pas
senger train. 1t was not in sight
but might be on the other side
grabbed, the whistle and sent the, echoes
reverberating through that valley in q